Internet Streaming Media Alliance — ISMA — Joins with Content Owner Community to Address Protection Issues

Business Wire, Feb 27, 2003

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

ISMA's 8th Forum and Annual Meeting

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 27, 2003

ISMA Announces Formation of Content Advisory Board; Board to Be

Chaired by Content Industry Luminary Philip Engelhardt

The Internet Streaming Media Alliance (ISMA), a global alliance of industry leaders in content management, distribution infrastructure, and streaming media, today announced that it is assembling a panel of outside experts to advise the alliance on issues critical to the content provider community. These issues include the protection of digital content and rights management concerns.

The ISMA content advisory panel will be chaired by industry expert Philip L. Engelhardt and will be comprised of members representing a cross-section of sectors including the entertainment and medical communities, government, academia, and private industry.

"One of the more pressing issues regarding the distribution and protection of digital content is safeguarding equity and shareholder value for content owners," said Philip L. Engelhardt, ISMA Content Advisory Board Chairman and a leading expert on digital content issues.

"This affects rights and valuations for copyright holders ranging from individual performers to multinational corporations. Through the efforts of ISMA, content owners now have an opportunity to join in the proliferation of a secure environment based on open standards. We invite their participation," he added.

"The insights and perspectives of content providers are critical to the future development of the streaming media industry," said Greg Carter, ISMA Board of Directors member from Kasenna, Inc. "The Content Advisory Board will specifically help to guide the ISMA's technical activities as they relate to streaming over IP networks." The group will also provide valuable insights into market dynamics and other concerns, he added. Carter will serve as the ISMA Board's primary liaison and advisor to the Content Advisory Board.

The Internet Streaming Media Alliance is a non-profit corporation founded in 2000 by Apple (AAPL), Cisco (CSCO), IBM (IBM), Kasenna, Inc., Philips (PHG), and Sun Microsystems (SUNW) to accelerate the market adoption of a universal, open standard for streaming rich media over the Internet Protocol (IP). Today, the alliance is comprised of nearly forty companies representing all facets of media distribution over IP.

"It's very important for content owners to work closely with technical communities such as ISMA to deliver on the promise of next generation streaming media," said Dr. Lev Gonick, Vice President for Information Technology Services and Chief Information Officer for Case Western Reserve University and a member of the advisory panel.

"The ISMA has been an extremely effective organization in breaking down barriers to industry growth by promoting open standards and developing specifications that address key issues such as content protection. The new advisory board will formalize an already close relationship and help to move streaming media to a new level for the benefit of content owners and consumers alike," he added.

The announcement of the content advisory group was made today at the ISMA's 8th Forum and Annual Meeting being held this week in Beverly Hills, CA. Industry and academic leaders representing dozens of organizations in industry sectors ranging from entertainment to information technology are attending the Forum.

Prospective advisory board members can receive additional information by contacting Laura Nugent, ISMA Executive Director, at laura@isma.tv or telephone (650) 949-6727.

About The ISMA

The Internet Streaming Media Alliance is a non-profit corporation founded in 2000 by Apple (AAPL), Cisco (CSCO), IBM (IBM), Kasenna, Inc., Philips (PHG), and Sun Microsystems (SUNW) to accelerate the market adoption of a universal, open standard for streaming rich media over the Internet Protocol (IP). Today, the ISMA is a diverse alliance with representatives from all points of the streaming workflow. In addition to the founders, the following companies are members of the ISMA: Analog Devices, AOLTime Warner, Inc., Bitband, Coding Technologies, Content Guard, Dolby Laboratories Inc., Envivio, France Telecom, Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits, Hitachi, iVast, Nagravision, National Semiconductor, NDS Technologies, Neomagic, Network Appliance, net&tv, Nextreaming, Oki Electric Industry Co., Ltd., On2 Technologies, Optibase, Panasonic AVC American Laboratory Co., Sharp Labs, Sigma Designs, Sony, Telecom Italia, Thomson Multimedia, VBrick Systems and Volera. Additional information and a complete list of members can be accessed at http://www.isma.tv/.>

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